Music and Motion Picture – A Natural Fit

By Chris Billingham 

Live music is most effective when every note and every instrument can be heard. Whether it’s a solo performance or full orchestra, concert attendees want the music to captivate and make its presence known. Indeed, the balance of sound and acoustic accuracy is why audiences spend more on seats in certain areas. However when music, especially classical music, appears on screen it is arguably most effective when it is barely noticeable.

Even those that are unfamiliar with classical music will have pieces that are hidden in their subconscious, thanks to their use in motion pictures. Whether that is childhood memories of Willy Wonka playing the overture of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro or realising that it is Bach’s Goldberg Variations perfectly juxtaposing a particularly violent scene in The Silence of the Lambs. The juxtaposition in that particular scene is a perfect example of classical music subtly adding a further dimension to a scene. It is used to compliment the visuals and bring the two art forms together in a way that enhances the film. As Director Martin Scorsese states "Music and cinema fit together naturally, because there's a kind of intrinsic musicality to the way moving images work when they're put together. It's been said that cinema and music are very close as art forms, and I think that's true.” This is especially true in the opening sequence to Scorsese’s 1980 film Raging Bull. Set to the intermezzo from Mascagni’s opera Cavalleria Rusticana, the mesmerising opening features Robert De Niro darting back and forth and throwing punches in slow motion. Without Mascagni the sequence wouldn’t be atmospheric; set to the piece it becomes the perfect beginning to the film. 

In a different genre, Brief Encounter provides arguably one of the most famous uses of classical music in film, with Rachmaninov’s second Piano Concerto having a presence throughout the story. It is said that Rachmaninov wrote the concerto to about his recovery from clinical depression; the piece is dedicated to a physician who worked on his self-confidence. However in the context of this 1945 film from Director David Lean, the piece perfectly summaries a love affair destined to end. The idea of the meaning of a piece of music coming from each individual listener has been discussed before in this blog, partly because it is one of the most fascinating elements to this particular art form. What’s interesting about music and cinema is that the meaning can be changed in a more controlled way. Everyone involved in creating a film, from the director to the actors, has the ability to shape a scene and use visuals to give a piece of music new meaning. 

David Lean and the production team behind Brief Encounter are not the only filmmakers to have achieved this; there are many examples throughout cinematic and musical history. A personal favourite is another example featuring Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, this time introduced not by an eccentric chocolate maker but an inmate of Shawshank State Prison. Whilst Mozart’s work is based on a stage comedy about a love triangle, when used in Frank Darabon’s 1994 classic The Shawshank Redemption it is about hope, freedom and the release classical music can bring. The scene in question features prisoner Andy Dufresne playing the letter duet ‘Che soave zeffiretto’ from The Marriage of Figaro to the whole prison over the public address system. The combination of the image of a normally rowdy group of inmates standing listening in silence, and the script providing the character of Red with rich dialogue, combine with the music to create one of the film’s highlights. As Red says 'For the briefest of moments every last man at Shawshank felt free' and therefore, in that moment, that is what the piece is about. 

Whether it changes the meaning of the music or subtly adds another layer of artistic merit, there can be no denying that music and film complement and enhance each other. As Scorsese said, they are a natural fit. 

What is your favourite use of classical music in film? Comment below or join the discussion on our Facebook or Twitter pages. 

You can also find out more about Southern Sinfonia by visiting our website or Instagram page. 

Glastonbury, but crowdfunded - London Sinfonietta plays for free

Jonny Greenwood Copyright: @Ldn_Sinfonietta 

By Julia Hudson 

It’s been a while since I enthralled readers of this blog with my weekend activities, but thankfully it’s back on the cards, albeit rather tenuously. It was my twenty-seventh birthday on Saturday (I know, so old) and I had a lovely day celebrating with my family and boyfriend in the rain. It has rained just three times in my lifetime on 28^th June, and as everyone took delight in telling me, this year it was because my birthday clashed with a certain Somerset festival.

While Glastonbury in general isn’t usually what we’d choose to discuss on our classical music blog, this year there was something which caught our collective eye. London Sinfonietta (including one of our most loyal percussionists, Owen Gunnell) was booked to perform Steve Reich’s iconic Music for 18 Musicians, a spellbinding blend of voices and instruments, with Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, who performed Electric Counterpoint. However, unlike Dolly Parton, Metallica, Johnny himself and the other world-famous artists who performed at Glastonbury, London Sinfonietta was asked to fund their appearance themselves, rather than being paid. Its website says:

“Our set of Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians and Electric Counterpoint will bring contemporary classical music to this world famous stage and a huge new audience – over 170,000 people.

But it's no mean feat taking all 18 players, their instruments and our production crew, more used to a concert hall, to a muddy field! The costs of doing so are substantial and we need to cover the large majority of these ourselves, but this is too good an opportunity to miss. This performance also enables us to extend our season with a repeat performance at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall – increasing our audience even further.

So we really need your help: if you love new music as much as we do please join our crowd-funding campaign and break this new – hopefully not too muddy! - ground with us. In return we'll say thank you with a whole host of goodies, including access to a rehearsal, signed photos and limited edition t-shirts.”

Percussionist Owen Gunnell plays with Southern Sinfonia in 2013

The classical music world has responded with outcry. Composer Philip Lawton has asked London Sinfonietta for the reasoning behind Glastonbury’s decision, saying that “Glastonbury, it seems, are creating a sort of two-tier system: The people they actually want, who they pay, and the people who they think “Oh, wouldn’t that be fun/newsworthy/diverse of us?” who have to pay their own way.” He also makes the point that Steve Reich, the composer chosen, is one of the most popular and often-programmed contemporary composers today. The orchestra responded honestly: “When the chance came up, and we agreed to play there, we knew there would be a funding gap we needed to fill, but we decided to take the opportunity on the basis of the huge value there is in the exposure for us, and contemporary classical music more widely. We hope very much that [this performance] will bring new audiences to the rest of the work we do.” Admirable, for certain, and, as Philip says, it is Glastonbury rather than the orchestra where the real condemnation should be directed.

Quite apart from the huge scale of the festival and the dream ticket sales figures, Glastonbury is in the luxurious position of having multiple events and advance tickets. This is almost unheard of in the classical world, and means that there is an entirely captive audience to whom anything can be played. This means that the financial viability need not be considered, and truly new and innovative music can be programmed, rather than 40 year old music known to many already.

One of London Sinfonietta’s percussionists, Oliver Lowe, wrote a blog about the event. He includes an account of the sound check: “Our short sound-check was soon underway...making sure each of us could hear all the necessary parts of the texture so we could stay together. This mainly involved making sure Marimba 1′s on-beat pulses were fed round the stage, particularly to Marimba 3 who holds the repeating pattern for each section and keeps everyone else locked in. This combination of on-beat pulses and repeated ostinato groove forms the basic rhythmic track for the piece. Everything else that’s played locks into those things, including the off-beat pulses Owen Gunnell and I were playing. These basic components are re-orchestrated throughout the piece, most notably in Section V where the pianos take responsibility from the marimbas, requiring a shift in monitor mixes to focus on the new source of tempo....A wrong move could have left us scrambling around in the aural dark, slowly becoming unglued as we lost touch with each other.” I know I’m biased as a classical musician, so please don’t shout, but did Metallica require quite this much expertise and concentration?

The freelance musicians of the classical music world are left constantly frustrated by this assumption that they will play “for exposure”. In the wedding market, for example, caterers, florists and marquee companies would never be expected to give away their product “for exposure”, but string quartets, singers and jazz groups are asked repeatedly. To make a sweeping generalisation, let’s say the average LS player at Glastonbury was 40. If they have had music lessons once every week throughout their youth, and three times a week through music college, they’ve had an minimum of 1500 lessons. Not including the cost of their instruments, music college fees, travel or anything else, each musician had spent about £50 000 on instrumental tuition by the time they graduated. Ignoring too the running costs of the organisation, plus the cost of the performers’ time, Glastonbury seems to have placed a value of precisely nothing on their ability. No musical trust or foundation has picked up the tab, either, despite the orchestra’s plea that it will bring contemporary classical music to a wider audience. Although Oliver Lowe attests that the performance drew a large crowd, and I have no doubt that it did, I would love to know how many of them will be turning up to the Southbank Centre as a result of that exposure. On a side note, I would also love to know how many of those other Glastonbury acts would have been able to get back on the coach and perform that same day at the Royal Opera House – not many, I would suggest.

To find out more about Southern Sinfonia; click here to visit our website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.  

Inspiration - in the Words of the Greatest Composers

By Chris Billingham 

“The idea of a composer suddenly having a terrific idea and sitting up all night to write it is nonsense. Night time is for sleeping”   - Britten 

An unusual approach to the creative process, Benjamin Britten had a rigid routine of a 9 to 5 working day, much like an office job. Some suggest that this is reflected in his music, and that there are moments which demonstrate a lack of inspiration. As discussed previously I write creatively, and like many I find it difficult to understand Britten’s view on how this process works. Inspirations comes to people in a number of ways, but it is not something than can be “turned off” – awake or asleep. 

Puccini appears to share this opinion: 

“Inspiration is an awakening, a quickening of all man’s faculties”  - Puccini 

Describing inspiration in this way suggests it can appear out of nowhere and take hold of you; a perspective much more widely held than Britten’s approach. History would suggest many composers have found this to be the case. A famous example is Elgar, who is said to have written the main theme for his cello concerto on a napkin after waking up from dental surgery. However, what if inspiration didn’t just appear in an awakening? Can you force creativity? Or even take it from existing works? Stravinsky suggests that: 

“Lesser artists borrow, great artists steal” - Stravinsky 

While most composers would no doubt argue that you should never directly copy another’s work, the concept of taking ideas from one another is one that has, whether you agree with it or not, been present throughout musical history, whether it’s the classical music world discussing Handel and other Baroque composers stealing from each other or rock fans accusing Noel Gallagher of copying The Beatles. Andrew Lloyd Webber is a current composer who has been widely accused of this in many of his best-known works.

Whether a piece is original or inspired by another, it will only become its own piece of art with determination from the composer. Looking across writings from various composers, this determination can come from a number of places. Whether it’s an artist wanting to reach their full potential: 

“A creative artist works on his next composition because he was not satisfied with his previous one” - Shostakovich

A sense of urgency:

“Nothing primes inspiration more than necessity” - Rossini 

Or an artist who understands that you have to keep working on your craft beyond mere repetition:

“Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets" - Beethoven

Beethoven’s words don’t come as a surprise; he is famous for his meticulous personality when it came to both music and his day-to-day activities. He is said to have counted out precisely 60 coffee beans every time he had a cup of coffee. While others probably wouldn’t have let their approach to musicianship affect their drinking habits, many agreed that inspiration can only flourish when it is combined with hard work, with Brahms commenting that: 

“Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind” - Brahms 

Indeed, Tchaikovsky notes that: 

“Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy” - Tchaikovsky

Is it fair to say that Britten was lazy when he suggested that he would only compose during the daytime, in what are essentially office hours? In some people’s opinions perhaps, however the method whereby one finds inspiration is entirely personal. I should probably stop shaking my head whenever I see that quotation; creativity is something individual and it matters less how a composer finds it, but how they utilise it. After all: 

"Imagination creates reality" - Wagner 

To find out more about Southern Sinfonia; click here to visit our website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. 

A Year with Southern Sinfonia

James Chater (left) - Photo: Richard Johnson

By James Chater 

As July draws ever closer and the 2013-14 season reaches its conclusion, so too does my time with Southern Sinfonia. The year has passed in what feels like the blink of an eye and in the Autumn I will take up my place to read music at Oxford University, armed with every musician’s indispensable set of skills, namely; the high speed assembly of music stands and the preparation of an entire orchestra’s worth of tea and coffee using two kettles. A year with Southern Sinfonia has done far more than just further my musical education.

Upon arriving with the orchestra, last July, a fresh-faced school leaver, I was totally unsure of what to expect from the year. One thing I didn’t expect, however, was accusation of neo-Nazism. Arriving home one day near the start of September, I found a rather flustered-looking father briskly come to the door to quiz me about a worrying email he found on my laptop. A quick explanation that the email entitled ‘SS Plan’ pertained to Southern Sinfonia and not a covert cult smoothed things over. Ironically though, I would say that this is one priceless skill that I have picked up over the year; the ability to navigate an awkward conversation. Whether it is a concertgoer, a vicar of a church the orchestra has descended upon for a weekend or the musicians themselves (all well-intentioned, it goes without saying!), more so than ever I feel accustomed to steering through with only minor scratches. This being said, the diversity of people I have met, from world-famous conductors and musicians, to orchestral managers and vergers has been one of the most rewarding and exciting parts of my experience. The insights that these people have to offer in terms of their perception of the music you are listening to have only served to heighten my appreciation.

The Romance of Brahms meets Britain's Britten rehearsals 

Perhaps my favourite event over the past year was our first subscription concert of the season, ‘The romance of Brahms meets Britain’s Britten’. Not only was the music absolutely breathtaking (igniting in fact, a year long obsession with Brahms), but this was also my first opportunity to see how the inner cogs of an arts organisation turn slowly but surely to produce a truly memorable event. As a school student, you are blissfully unaware of the innumerable twists and turns that the planning of such a concert entails. Before, I would swan up to the hall on the day and play away, but this time was much different. The wonderful world of posters, tickets, flyering, logistics, photocopies of music, bowings were all thrust upon the team, and suddenly I became all too aware of the technicalities of such a concert. Needless to say, in true Southern Sinfonia style, the concert itself came to pass with minimal difficulty, apart from David Hill’s pesky shoe sole (there’s always one), which conveniently decided to detach itself moments before the evening began, leaving him to conduct shoe-less. Don’t say we don’t like a first here at Southern Sinfonia.

The wonderful world of posters!

On a purely selfish level, what this year has done has really put my (and I am loathed to say this cliché) passion for music into a new and sharper focus. Before, music was something that had a very limited context for me, perhaps to be expected, coming from a boarding-school environment. Yet, when you are able to see first-hand what music can do, in terms of education, in the joy that it brings audiences, and the undying love of music in those audiences, it gives me a great sense of affirmation that what I am going to be studying over the next three years has some real gravitas and longevity.

I could elaborate much further on all the benefits of my internship with the SS Team, but I fear it would be of Wagnerian length (oh, one more thing then – a deft eye for musical puns and analogies!). It just leaves me to thank everyone at SS HQ and all those associated for giving me such a wonderful and rewarding experience. I wait with bated breath until my return as guest blogger…

We are so pleased and fortunate to have had James with us this year. He has been a real asset (not just thanks to his ninja-like stand skills!) and it has been wonderful to get to know him over the season. We are very proud that he achieved his dream of going to Oxford, and are looking forward to hearing about his stories and successes.

We will very much miss his ability to make amazing coffee, though – apparently there’s some secret to do with microwaving milk...

-Julia Hudson, Assistant General Manager 

Click here to purchase tickets to our next Café Concert with harpist Olivia Jageurs and actor Alex Knox on Friday 20th June.

To find out about further Southern Sinfonia concerts click here to visit our website. You can also find out more through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Finding your feet in the arts - come & work with Southern Sinfonia!

By Julia Hudson

As many of you will have noted, we are advertising for an Intern. Although not the most glamorous job title, we are looking for a gap year student, graduate or someone looking to start their journey in the world of arts management. While, inevitably, they will prove their worth by a deft music stand manoeuvre at a critical moment, we hope that they will also learn a great deal by working with us for a season.

Quiet coffee moment before rehearsal at Greenwich

Now on the other side of the proverbial table, I feel able to comment on the usefulness of such a position because I started off my career in a similar position. Working in artist management with some concerts and festivals thrown in, I received enough money to cover approximately half an M&S sandwich a day and never worked so diligently in my life. I lived for six months with a very generous family of friends and commuted with the besuited bankers, spending a couple of evenings a week tutoring a lovely AS-level student to make some extra cash. At work, I learned extremely rapidly about everything from how to use (and clean) one of those complex-looking coffee machines to the ins and outs of contracts and A1 forms (don’t ask). The six months flew by, in a whirl of after-work drinks, concerts in some of the most prestigious venues in London – where the artist afterwards hugged and thanked you for booking his taxi there – and a mind-alteringly improved understanding of Microsoft Word.

Most crucially, I learned a great deal. Having already worked in a different sector, I thought I knew how to be organised, how to respond to emails and how to get the most out of a day at my desk. But here were new challenges – working towards others’ proclivities and timetables, answering the phone and the door (often simultaneously) and remembering that a lack of attention to detail could mean a ferry for twelve singers heading in the reverse direction to that which it was intended. Behind the glamorous veneer of concerts, recitals and festivals, there is an underworld of less exciting overseas travel logistics, tax, VAT, contracts, percentages and electronic diary management, which is time-consuming and often complex. In the orchestral world, the challenges vary slightly but still include tight schedules and similarly tight spaces in cathedrals, social media, publicity, printing, cataloguing and a wide range of admin tasks. It's a eye-opening introduction into something most of us never contemplated.

Typical concert-day rehearsal, in Bath Abbey

Most importantly, though, you’ll be learning constantly – surrounded by an experienced team of orchestral managers (ours also travel the world with artists as varied as Neville Marriner, Michael Buble and the Monteverdi Choir), our projects manager Natasha who is also one of our wonderful oboists (see her post here) and many more, your journey will be an informative and enjoyable one. Highlights for me include days spent in some of the most beautiful buildings our country has to offer, working with professional musicians, the local community and schoolchildren all in the same day, and trying to find extra chairs for our recent sold-out concert – I hope you find your own.

Our 13-14 intern James celebrating a place at Oxford with MD Kay

Southern Sinfonia is offering a three days per week, ten month voluntary placement in its small Administration and Management team. Based in Newbury, Berkshire, the Administration and Management internship offers the opportunity to gain experience of how a world-class and busy team works, in the areas of orchestral management, education and participation, artistic planning and administration. The successful candidate will work within the main office, music library and in venues throughout the South of England, working closely with a number of colleagues and musicians across the organisation. To apply, email julia@southernsinfonia.co.uk for a job description.